Ulsan University said Thursday it will work to become the hub for research and development in automobiles and shipbuilding, while training global leaders in these fields.

Last year, the school’s Automobile/Ship Electronics Convergence Center kicked off a seven-year plan to train a total of 376 specialists in electronic convergence on the graduate level. The center also seeks to implement itself as the focus of the fields R&D sector.

According to professor Cho Sang-bock, the center’s leader and professor of electrical engineering at the university, the electronic convergence program refers to one that aims to foster manufacturing specialists who are also electronics experts.

“Cars and ships have been evolving to require advanced electronics, such as ships with automated navigation systems,” said Cho. “Traditionally, some trained to build cars and others were trained to deal with electronics. The new program aims to cultivate experts that can do both.”

In August, the government included the Automobile/Ship Electronics Convergence Center in the Project to Foster Future-based Creative Talents of its Brain Korea 21 Program for Leading Universities and Students, or BK21 Plus.

The project aims to enhance research competitiveness in science, technology, humanities and the social sciences by providing education at the graduate level for a select few students. The government will spend 250 billion won ($234 million) every year from 2013 to 2019 in order to foster 18,500 doctors and masters.

Ulsan University said it will enhance the competitiveness of its education programs by focusing on specialized fields related to automobile/ship electronic convergence. In addition, it will push for “internationalization” of its graduate programs by providing all courses in English and working with some 20 foreign education institutes to operate its exchange student program.

The university also plans to step up cooperation with local industries, maximizing the benefits of its location in a city with many manufacturing companies such as Hyundai Heavy Industries.

By Yoon Min-sik (minsikyoon@heraldcorp.com)